---
title: fontanelle — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «fontanelle» in the school dictionary: A fontanelle is a soft spot on a baby's head where the bones of the skull have not yet joined together. It closes as the baby grows, usually by about 18 months to 2 years. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# fontanelle

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** fontanelle, baby, newborn baby, skull, you, nurse · **What happens:** be, not join, close, grow, have, let · **To what, where:** soft spot, head, bones, soft fontanelle, top, skull · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«fontanelle» in the school dictionary: its meaning for a pupil and its 6 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [fontanelle in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/fontanelle.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A fontanelle is a soft spot on a baby's head where the bones of the skull have not yet joined together. It closes as the baby grows, usually by about 18 months to 2 years.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A fontanelle is a soft spot on a baby's head where the bones of the skull have not yet joined together.

<!-- fold The tree, 22 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:m1:1
# text = A fontanelle is a soft spot on a baby's head where the bones of the skull have not yet joined together.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fontanelle	fontanelle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
5	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	spot	spot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
7	on	on	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	's	's	PART	POS	_	9	case	_	_
11	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
12	where	where	ADV	WRB	PronType=Rel	21	advmod	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	bones	bone	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	21	nsubj:pass	_	_
15	of	of	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
16	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
17	skull	skull	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	14	nmod	_	_
18	have	have	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	21	aux	_	_
19	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	21	advmod	_	_
20	yet	yet	ADV	RB	_	21	advmod	_	_
21	joined	join	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	6	parataxis	_	_
22	together	together	ADV	RB	_	21	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | a fontanelle | a soft spot |  | a baby's head |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **join** | present · perfect · passive |  | the bones of the skull |  |  | yet | together *property* | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* It closes as the baby grows, usually by about 18 months to 2 years.

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:m1:2
# text = It closes as the baby grows, usually by about 18 months to 2 years.
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	closes	close	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nsubj	_	_
6	grows	grow	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
8	usually	usually	ADV	RB	_	12	advmod	_	_
9	by	by	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
10	about	about	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	18	18	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	12	nummod	_	_
12	months	month	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	_
13	to	to	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	2	2	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	15	nummod	_	_
15	years	year	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **close** | present | fontanelle |  |  |  |  |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |
| 2 | **grow** | present | the baby |  |  |  | month; year |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A newborn baby has a soft fontanelle on top of its head.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:x1:1
# text = A newborn baby has a soft fontanelle on top of its head.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	newborn	newborn	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	has	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	fontanelle	fontanelle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	top	top	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	its	its	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	12	nmod:poss	_	_
12	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | a newborn baby | a soft fontanelle |  | top of baby's head |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fontanelle=Patient |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fontanelle lets the baby's skull grow.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:x2:1
# text = The fontanelle lets the baby's skull grow.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fontanelle	fontanelle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	lets	let	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	skull	skull	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
8	grow	grow	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **let** | present | the fontanelle | the baby's skull |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **grow** | present | the baby's skull *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Be gentle with the baby's head because of the fontanelle.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:x3:1
# text = Be gentle with the baby's head because of the fontanelle.
1	Be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	cop	_	_
2	gentle	gentle	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	head	head	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
8	because	because	ADP	IN	ExtPos=ADP	11	case	_	_
9	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	fixed	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	fontanelle	fontanelle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | imperative | you *not said here* |  |  |  |  | with the baby's head because the fontanelle; gentle *property* | tree rules |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The nurse checked the baby's fontanelle.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:x4:1
# text = The nurse checked the baby's fontanelle.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	nurse	nurse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	checked	check	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	baby	baby	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	's	's	PART	POS	_	5	case	_	_
7	fontanelle	fontanelle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **check** | past | the nurse | the baby's fontanelle |  |  |  |  | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fontanelle=Theme |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The fontanelle closes by about the age of two.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:x5:1
# text = The fontanelle closes by about the age of two.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	fontanelle	fontanelle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	closes	close	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	by	by	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
5	about	about	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	age	age	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
8	of	of	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	two	two	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	7	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **close** | present | the fontanelle |  |  |  | by the age of two |  | vn other\_cos-45.4 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Everyday people call the fontanelle the soft spot.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:fontanelle:x6:1
# text = Everyday people call the fontanelle the soft spot.
1	Everyday	everyday	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	3	nsubj	_	_
3	call	call	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	fontanelle	fontanelle	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
7	soft	soft	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	spot	spot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | present | Everyday people | the fontanelle |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent fontanelle=Recipient |

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**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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